ISLAMABAD: The Customs Appellate Tribunal (CAT), chaired by the tribunal Chairman Justice (r) Manzoor Hussain, will start hearing of Ayyan Ali money laundering case from second week of October.
Ayyan Ali’s counsel Sardar Latif Khosa had filed the petition at Customs Appellate Tribunal, Islamabad, challenging decision of a lower customs court regarding confiscation of $500,000, seized while being smuggled by Ayyan Ali, and imposition of fine for trying to smuggle money out of Pakistan.
Officials of Customs Appellate Tribunal stated that following directions by the chairman, Justice (r) Manzoor Hussain, had not listed the case for hearing yet. But they said the chairman may hear the case in his upcoming visit to Islamabad.
Ayyan was arrested from Benazir Bhutto International Airport with $500,000 in March 2015. The Airport Security Force intercepted her and recovered the said amount from her luggage. She was released on bail after four months in Adiala Jail.
Through the petition, Ayyan’s counsel challenged the said decision announced by a Rawalpindi Customs Court. The court had indicted Ayyan for trying to smuggle $500,000 out of the Pakistan.
The amount was confiscated by customs authorities and later customs adjudication found her guilty of smuggling said amount out of Pakistan.
Customs Court maintained departmental decision on confiscation of amount being tried to smuggle and also added fine of $500,000 (same amount seized while being smuggled) on Ayyan.
It is pertinent to mention that Ayyan had pleaded not guilty to the charges of money laundering at the lower court and defended against the case in which she has been purposefully implicated.
Customs court Judge Rana Aftab Ahmed heard the case and had recorded several eye-witnesses in the case. It is worth mentioning that custom officer Chaudhry Ijaz, one of the key witnesses in the case, was murdered. Ijaz was shot in the leg when two armed motorcyclists opened fire at him in the limits of Waris Khan police station.
The apex courts had also rejected her acquittal pleas in the money laundering case; however, she was granted bail on securities to attend the lawful proceedings in the case.
